Before the Storm
by SheWhomLaughsLast
Summary: Set after 2x21. Emma visits Regina at her home after the events of 2x21. Written kind of "Hills like White Elephants" type thing, or at least my version of it.


**Because I know the Swan Queen Nation obsesses over little moments between Regina and Emma, I thought I'd try my hand at a kind of 'Hills like White Elephants' fanfic and let you guys pick it apart. I don't know if I pulled it off, but I figured why not give it a go. Different writing style for me, so I'm sorry if it's shit.**

Regina looked out her window, coffee in her hand, an apple waiting on the counter. Her fingers played over the smooth china surface of her mug, eyes staring off into a land she had seen a long, long time ago. It was the same mug she used every morning, the same coffee with the same whitener in it that she had used every day since the curse. She had ceramic mugs, but it was the familiarity of the china that gave her certainty. Once in a while, she'd go into town and buy a coffee from Granny's if she was in a rush, but she'd always go back to the same coffee in the same mug.

It was a crisp morning, the kind that's cool bite taunted you with the hope of a warm afternoon. Dew glittered in the dawn sunlight. The faintest sounds of birds singing penetrated the walls of her house, but it was otherwise quiet.

She sipped her coffee and closed her eyes, the silence vibrating in her ears.

A harsh knock at the door made her jump, the mug slipping from her hands and crashing to the floor.

Regina stood still for a moment, staring at the shattered china at her feet, at the coffee that had splashed her legs and the cupboards. Another knock at the door snapped her attention away from her spoiled drink. She glanced back and forth before heading to the door, muttering under her breath. Her hand closed on the door handle and she pulled it open.

"Ms. Swan?" she said, coming face to face with the blonde, "what can I do for you?"

"I just came by to—" Emma's eyes dropped to Regina's legs "what happened?" the brunette followed her gaze, noticing how bad the splash was; coffee soaked the bottom of her dress and dripped down her legs.

"I dropped my coffee. What did you want?"

"That's the crash I heard? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Ms. Swan." They stood in the doorway a while longer, neither saying a word.

"May I come in?" Regina rolled her eyes and took a step back.

"If you must." Emma entered the home and headed right for the kitchen, Regina close on her heels. "What is it you wanted, Ms. Swan?" Regina asked again.

"I wanted to talk about you, actually," Emma said, walking around the island, coming to the aftermath of the drop. Without hesitating, she grabbed a cloth from the sink and turned on the tap. She ran the cloth under the water and wrung it out.

"Ms. Swan, I am completely capable of cleaning up my own messes, thank you."

"I'm trying to make up for making you drop your coffee."

"I don't need your help." Emma looked at her for a second before holding the cloth out to her. Regina appraised it before her lip twitched into a split-second snarl and she sunk into a crouch, ignoring the offering. She hastily plucked the slivers of broken china from the ground and into the palm of her hand.

"Anyway, I'm here to check on you," Regina looked up at her, "for Henry." The Evil Queen's head dropped back down to what she was doing. "He's worried."

"Tell him not to," she muttered, "I'm fine. I've been through worse than what those two zealots put me through."

"Electrocution?" Emma said, leaning against the counter. Regina's hurried movements stalled for a moment before continuing. "I can't think of anything worse than that." Regina's eyes grew distant once again.

"I can," she shook herself. "Now, run along and tell Henry I'm fine. We can't waste time on me when all of our lives are at stake."

"You're bleeding." Regina looked up.

"What?" Emma pointed to Regina's hand. Regina looked just in time to see the small trickle of blood that lazily trailed its way from under the pile of broken glass in her hand and between her fingers, dripping down to mingle with the spilt coffee. Regina stared at it for a moment, the bright red that swirled with the warm brown. Then she stood, opening the cupboard under the sink and dropping the shards in the garbage. There, in the centre of her palm, lay the weeping cut. Emma leaned over the counter to get a look. The blood had smeared over her skin as the broken pieces had fallen from her hand.

"That looks bad."

"It's nothing." Emma rolled her eyes before turning on the tap again. With a firm hand, Emma grabbed Regina's wrist. The brunette tensed, meeting Emma's eyes. After a moment, she relaxed again and, after testing the temperature of the water, the blonde eased the Evil Queen's palm under it. Regina winced.

"Sorry," Emma murmured before pulling Regina's hand back.

"See? Nothing." a small red line stretched a centimetre or two across her skin, the blood now mixing pink with the water. She waved her other hand over it, sealing the wound in the span of a few seconds. "All better. Even with what little magic I have." She wiped her hands on a tea towel.

"All better," the other woman agreed, searching Regina's eyes. Her gaze then fell upon the dark blotch on her inner elbow, and then switched to its twin on the opposite arm. Regina crossed her arms, covering the evidence of the electrocution she had failed to make disappear.

"Now, I don't think I need to remind you about the imminent danger we're in." She shook her hair out of her face, raising her chin. "You should probably get going."

Emma didn't say anything. Instead, she moved to the cupboard, opened it and grabbed a ceramic mug. She moved to the coffee maker and poured the dark liquid into the cup. She poured the whitener, looking at the puddle of coffee on the ground then back to the coffee. She stirred it with the spoon on the counter. All the while, Regina watched, even as Emma dropped the cloth to the ground, using her foot to wipe up the spill.

Emma turned to Regina and paused before handing her the mug. Regina looked at the Saviour and then grabbed the apple from the counter and held it out to her. Emma raised an eyebrow.

"Trying to put me under again, Regina?" the Queen smiled.

"No, Emma," Regina said, "it's an apple—_just _an apple." Emma hesitated just a moment before taking the fruit.

"Thanks. See you around." Regina dipped her head to the blonde before Emma made her way from the kitchen to the door. Regina didn't move until the door closed. She looked down into the cup, at the warm liquid, the colour almost exactly the same as the previous drink. She rasped her fingers against the rougher ceramic, feeling the difference from her favourite china instantly, and surprised she didn't hate it. She sipped her coffee before opening the window she'd been staring out of before Emma startled her.

She was met with the gentle caress of a warm breeze.

She breathed in deep, pulling the scent of fresh cut grass and sun warmed air into her being; the calm before the storm. Her eyes moved back to where the apple had been sitting on the counter. She raised her coffee to her lips once again.

"Don't be a hero, Ms. Swan," she whispered over the rim, "be safe."

**Reviews make the world go 'round.**


End file.
